Pruning Tomatoes and Artichoked Hearts

I can't believe how quickly my tomato plants grew this summer! I started them from tiny seeds in April and now they are like giants.I recently learned (from visiting my daughter on an organic farm in California) that if I let all those leaves and branches continue to grow they will take the nutrition away from producing big, juicy tomatoes. I had learned in my early days of gardening to remove the suckers that grow in between the vines, but I never knew you had to cut them back so drastically.

So I set to work and started loping off huge chunks of over-sized and leafy vines. Of course there is a method. You just don't rip the plants to shreds. You have to know what to cut and what to leave on. Now my plants are growing nice big tomatoes. I cant' wait till they ripen.

This reminded me of a lesson the Lord taught me years ago and continues to teach me.It's taken from John 16:2 "Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." God is the Master Gardener and he knows when we're getting too leafy. Several times in my life I've gone through a pruning, like the time I switched careers and couldn't find a teaching job. God used this time in my life to develop trust in Him. He cut a lot of things out of my life--my job, friends who got divorced,a woman's Bible study etc. I had to cling to the Lord and trust Him to grow some new branches.And He did!

He has provided abundantly. I now have a great art teaching job and our finances are much more stable now that my husband's job is more consistent.My son, who battled with addictions, is now fully recovered and following the Lord. I'm attending a new church and we have several Bible studies and many events to attend and participate in. In addition, a couple of summers ago I brought my daughters to Europe, something I had wanted to do for them for years. We had a great time in exploring Italy and Spain. I could go on and on about God's provision, but I don't want to focus on that.I want to attest to the work God has done in my life because He knew when to prune me.

During these times when He clipped my leafy branches and pruned an artichoked heart,He humbled me.He helped Me to see how much He loves Me, as well as others. He replaced my art I choke (that is a heart wrapped up in itself) and gave me compassion for the poor and the needy. He continues to work in me, helping me to be more patient and forgiving, less judgmental and demanding.And that's one reason I write what I do. I want my books and writing to touch people's lives and minister to them, and I hope my life reflects a pruned heart--one that is fruitful like my tomatoes, minus the leaves and the bugs!

Weeds in the Garden

This time of year always has me reflect back to portions of scriptures that refer to growing crops and farming. In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the disciples the parable about the weeds. A man sewed good seeds in his field, but while he was sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. The servants saw when the weeds came up and asked their master if they should pull them out, but the master said “No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest” (Matthew 13:29).

I should have listened to this advice this year in my flower garden, which usually gets overrun with weeds by July. So this year I determined to keep it weed free. The only problem was I wasn’t sure about some questionable greenery growing all over my garden—was it a flower or a dreaded weed invading my flower beds. I pulled out the largest clump that looked like it might crowd out other flowers and left a few test samples to see if they’d produce flowers. I took a sample to a gardener and she was sure it was dianthus, a carnation or pinks, but I was sure it was not. Another friend gave me a weed book and I spotted the culprit—so I thought. I pulled out more, but left a few.

To my surprise a few weeks later the so called weeds produced purple, red and while Sweet Williams, a pretty cousin to carnations. Unfortunately, I had weeded the largest clump and it was barren in that spot, but at least I had left the roots for next year. The gardener had been correct, and I wrong. I learned my lesson—don’t pull up the weeds right away. Wait to see what fruit is produced, or flower in this case. It was a similar lesson that Jesus was trying to teach his disciples when he told them the meaning of the parable of the weeds. Wait until the harvest. Let the two grow up together, then you’ll see which are the weeds and which are the good crop.

I saw myself in this parable—making a judgment call on what’s a weed before giving it time to prove itself. I need to give people time to show their true colors before I come to a conclusion about them. Time will tell if they’ll produce only weeds or flowers. God gives us time. He’s patient with us. He gives us a chance to convert from being a weed to a flower or a luscious fruit. He doesn’t judge us right away, but waits to the end, to the harvest. He looks on the inside to see what potential we have, whether a flower or a fruit. It’s up to us. Next year, I won’t be so hasty to pull up those weedy looking stems. Now I know they are really sweet flowers beneath their exterior. How about you?